Jon Joseph

I'm hoping for Miami going 0-5 for the Fiesta Bowl. 😁 https://collegefootballnews.com/college-football/miami-ole-miss-cfp-semifinal-fiesta-bowl-prediction

Dilly doesn't dally before grabbing Will's QB. Rolo to KY? ESPN.comSource: Kentucky QB Boley transfers to Arizona St.Arizona State has landed a commitment from Kentucky quarterback Cutter Boley, a source confirmed to ESPN.

Putting the Big Ten on notice! The Badgers have landed QB Joseph! 😁 ESPN.comBadgers land dual-threat QB Joseph as transferWisconsin has landed quarterback Colton Joseph, the team's top QB target for 2026. Joseph was eighth in the nation in total offense while helping lead Old Dominion (10-3) to its second winning season

Excellent article by Bruce Feldman is available on The Athletic ($ wall) 'The SEC's dismal bowl record this season points to a fundamental truth: money matters.' Why, with what we witnessed from the PO committee this season, isn't Tony Petitti's AQ 16-team PO format receiving unanimous support? One fewer G6 team in the field, but one more ACC, Big Ten, B12, and SEC teams would have been in the field along with Notre Dame. Plus, no more 1st round byes, more home games, and the PO starting and ending a week or two earlier than now.

The North Texas QB is following his coach to OK State - Next season, the Cowboys will be a much tougher out. YardbarkerDrew Mestemaker's move to Oklahoma State shows how transf...We saw one of the first big dominoes in the 2026 transfer portal fall on Saturday afternoon when former North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker committed to Oklahoma State.

Bowl Winners and Losers. SC's (Missing) Linc Riley is among the losers. Riley is also losing DC D'Anton Lynn. Lynn is returning to his alma mater, Penn State. OT - I like what Matt Campbell is building at PSU, and I see Campbell having more success at PSU than Franklin will have at VA Tech. No OBD vs. Penn State in 2026. PSU visits Autzen in 2027 along with Ohio State and Iowa. Saturday BlitzBiggest winners and losers of college football bowl seaso...This year’s college football bowl season has wrapped up, with only the two College Football Playoff semifinal matchups and the national championship game remain

Next season, OBD will see a rebuilt team when it travels to Stillwater, OK, to play OK State. Saturday BlitzPortal Pile-Up: The 5 college football programs losing th...The College Football Transfer Portal will open up in two days, creating a 14 day window of chaos from January 2nd through the 16th. Oftentimes, everyone always

It's Portal Picking time. In the midst of the playoffs? 🤪 https://duckswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/ducks/football/2026/01/02/oregon-football-2026-transfer-portal-needs/87990127007/?utm_source=smg-duckswire-strada&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SMGbaseline&utm_term

Mike, I so enjoy pouring my first cup of coffee and then finding an article from you up on the Forum. You, Charles, David Marsh, The Coach, and other Forum Friends have an in-depth appreciation of the game I do not have; it's wonderful when you all share your insights. I'm not being critical of either coach, Dan or Will, when I ask if Will has a free hand when it comes to game management. It was apparent early on to this amateur that Texas Tech's offense was outmatched and not a threat to score against the Ducks' defense. Why not dominate time of possession and dominate the game by playing smaller, not small ball? Especially when your QB is under siege, and your O-line is not playing like a Joe Moore finalist. Of course, eight 4th down attempts and a successful fake punt are not in the generally accepted definition of 'small ball.' I'm an amateur armchair analyst, but I can see why experts don't 'get' the seemingly inconsistent game plan. However,15 new starters and the team is 13-1, I am entertained. And, I have to remind myself that it took Kirby Smart and Ryan Day six seasons to win a title. How much do Dan, Will, and Dante himself trust Dante? Against TT, Dante had Sadiq wide open for a TD and missed the opportunity. He had receivers open against Indiana and missed them. He's twenty years old and has nowhere close to the experience of Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel. The game isn't going to slow down when you are on your back. The defense and a very good, not perfect, kicking game won the Orange Bowl game. The defense shut down Penn State, Iowa, and Indiana until late in the games against these three opponents. I don't see OBD versus Indiana, and hopefully, Miami or Ole Miss, winning shootouts. I do see OBD winning if, like against TT, OBD dominates the TO battle and holds the opponents below their season scoring average. I don't expect to breathe easy for sixty-plus minutes. Thanks again, Mike, for another terrific take. PS - My Old Man was one of the farm boys who destroyed the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy. 👌👍😁 There isn't a Cig that cannot be extinguished. HOSE THE WHO, WHO, WHO HOOSIERS!

You need a better OC. (On-Line Coordinator.) 🤪

Not so fast on the SEC's title chances. I wouldn't count out a super-motivated Ole Miss team with a magician playing QB. Trinidad Chambers presents a different challenge for the Miami D than the far less mobile Julian Sayin. Miami is 16-12 in its bowl games and won national titles in 1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, and 2001. Miami is 0-4 in the Fiesta Bowl with losses to UCLA, Penn State, Arizona, and Ohio State. The U comes into Thursday night's game with the added pressure of winning and playing for a title on its home field. I expect Ole Miss will have more fans in attendance than Miami, unified by a robust hatred of Lane Kiffin. Miami lost its last bowl game, the Pop-Tarts Bowl, to Matt Campbell and Iowa State, 42-41, with Cam Ward, with Mario's consent, taking a second-half nap. (The folks who wagered on Miami were not happy with Mario's undisclosed bowl game 'strategy.' 🤬) Ole Miss, +3 to +3.5, comes into the Fiesta Bowl 13-1 with rematch wins over Tulane and Georgia, and with the better QB, a guy who can escape pressure. I like Ole Miss to cover and win. The SEC's dominance was more about recruiting local talent and poaching players of need, such as Tua and Brock Bowers. There were few, if any, squeaky clean programs before NIL. Where there is a transactional free market for any endeavor, deep pockets will step up, and talent will be disbursed. HO$E THE HOO$IERS!

And the B12 dropped another one last night. SMU 24 - No. 17 Arizona 19 Prior to the semifinals, here's a detailed breakdown of bowl performance game by game for every conference. https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2025-01-02/track-which-conferences-are-winning-2025-26-college-football-bowl-season Monday, January 5th, our friends and first game foe Montana State play Illinois State in the FCS champ game. 7:30/4:30 ESPN ESPN's Bill Connelly's analysis of this matchup. ESPN.comFCS national championship preview: Illinois State, Montan...Will the Bobcats break through or can the Redbirds cap their amazing run in style?

CBS Sports has an early look at portal winners and losers. EARLY is the word. Makhi may be back in town, but not in Eugene. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-transfer-portal-day-1-winners-losers-2026/

Here's an excellent look at the semifinals from Saturdays Down South, Connor O'Gara. Note- Broyles finalists, Indiana DC Bryant Haines, and Miami DC Corey Heatherman, both worked for Curt Cignetti at JMU. Mario's hire of Hetherman from Minnesota was one of this season's best. I've dumped on Cristobal, whose game management is still suspect, but he has stopped micro-managing and is giving his coordinators more leeway. Somehow, someway, Trinidad Chambliss must be related to Houdini. Saturday Down SouthEarly thoughts on 2 improbable College Football Playoff s...With an extremely unique field left, the College Football Playoff semifinals are loaded with intriguing storylines.

Great comment, DM. I think Dan might also have wanted to make certain that Dante lived to see another day. The D coach in him saw TT's offense being dominated, and he also saw Dante take some vicious hits. Running the ball shortened the game as intended.

The Most Exciting PO to Date? SI guy says, 'Yes.' Oregon Ducks On SIWhy This Year's College Football Playoff Is The Most Exci...After an exciting quarterfinal round filled with upsets and thrilling finishes, the College Football Playoff Semifinals are officially set, and the No. 5 Oregon

I agree with you on Riola, but not on Sam Leavitt. Leavitt is from West Linn, Oregon. When healthy in 2025, Leavitt threw for 319 yards and led a late TD drive in the win over Texas Tech. In last season's PO, if a targeting call that should have been made late in the game against Texas was called, Leavitt would have led ASU back from a big deficit in an upset of the Longhorns and played Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. When healthy, Leavitt played very well for ASU. Dilly thought Leavitt was worthy of the ASU starting spot when he transferred in from Michigan State. Leavitt missed five games this season and also missed ASU's Sun Bowl loss to Duke. In two seasons, he threw for 4,513 yards, 34 TDs, and ran for 10 TDs. He consistently earned high grades from PFF. If Dan pursues Leavitt, it will only be with Dillingham's recommendation. Cincinnati QB Sorsby tailed off significantly late in the season. I think there could be more hype than substance with Sorsby.

The only game scheduled with Northwestern through 2028 is a Wildcats visit to Autzen in 2026.

Good thought. But you can bring in experience, as Oregon did with Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel, Miami did with Cam Ward and Carson Beck, and Indiana did with Kurtis Rourke and Fernando Menzoza. One of the four Final 4 transfer QBs will win a title this season. Transfer Will Howard won a title last season. Tom Brady won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay. Experienced faces in new places is true today for every position. You have to make sure you bring in high-character, coachable guys who love to play football to accompany solid recruiting. I think a playoff-quality O-line is as difficult to develop as any position, including QB. Dan and his assistants did a fantastic job this season of getting many new starters on both sides of the ball to play together. Dante goes pro, and I expect a transfer to start for OBD next season. BTW, the Kentucky starting QB is in the portal. Novo to Lexington?

UCLA to Oregon. Georgia to Miami. Cal to Indiana. Ferris State to Ole Miss. The only surprising 'QB development program' is Georgia, with a mutually agreed-upon change at QB. The free market is going to produce incubator programs and development schools. And how long is a productive OC going to be in the same place to groom a QB? The need to develop your own QB is yesterday's CFB news.

The turmoil is exhausting. However, a wide-open CFB marketplace can lead to Indiana and Oregon in the Final 4 instead of Ohio State and Michigan, Ole Miss instead of Georgia and Alabama, and Miami instead of Notre Dame. 😁 This Final 4 is what an expanded PO was supposed to do, keep the fans of teams outside the traditional blue bloods engaged. Fewer folks watch on TV, that's ESPN's problem. PUT OUT THAT CIG!

The Athletic's ($ wall) Austin Mock's PO Mock predicts the chances of the Final Four winning it all: Indiana - 39% Oregon - 28% Miami - 18% Ole Miss - 15%

I'm somewhat surprised by the love being shown to Miami's defense. In the Big Ten champ game, the Indiana defense shut down the Ohio State offense in the same manner as Miami in the Cotton Bowl. In the Rose Bowl game, Mendoza threw fewer incompletions than he did touchdowns against a Bama defense that carried the Tide all season long. Even with the game in Miami, if Indiana can defeat OBD for a second time this season, I think Indiana, with a defense as good or better than Miami's and with more weapons on offense than Ohio State, including a better O-line, will defeat Miami by two or more scores. It's close in team defense with Indiana, 2nd ranked, and Miami, 4th. Massey SOS has Indiana 11th and Miami 24th, and this is with Miami getting a boost from playing Notre Dame. In Massey's top 25, one ACC team, No. 7 Miami, is ranked. Nine B1G, nine SEC, Notre Dame at No. 6, and five B12 teams are ranked in the top 25. I think Indiana is the better-coached football team. I hope we do not have the opportunity to see if I'm correct. In Miami on 1/19, I want to see OBD playing Ole Miss. If OBD wins it all without a win over an SEC foe, Paul et al will call it an aberration.

Right back at you! 👍👌❤️

The Hits Just Keep On Coming for Lame Kitten - https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/sec/2026/01/02/ole-miss-cfp-run-shows-rebels-didnt-need-lane-kiffin-after-all-pete-golding-charlie-weis/87992341007/?utm_source=usat-path-to-playoff-nletter76&utm_